Pitch Training Device With Clear Spherical Caps

ABSTRACT

A pitch training ball includes a center portion, a first cap, and a second cap. The center portion is opaque and has a first planar surface at a first end thereof, and a second planar surface at a second end thereof opposite to the first end. The first cap portion has a first base that is adjacent to the first planar surface. The second cap portion has a second that is adjacent to the second planar surface. The first cap, the center portion, and the second cap cooperate to define a baseball shape. The first and second caps are transparent to translucent.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority to Provisional U.S. Patent Application No. 63/192,922 (“the '922 application), filed on May 25, 20221, and to Provisional U.S. Patent Application No. 63/335,058 (“the '058 application), filed on Apr. 26, 2022. The entire contents of the '922 application and of the '058 application are incorporated by reference herein.

BACKGROUND

The present invention relates generally to thrown training devices (pitch training devices or training devices) that aim to refine the throwing techniques required in various sports (e.g., baseball, softball, cricket). The training devices provide visual feedback observed by the user's naked eye. Such visual feedback relies on the wobble of the training device during its flight through the air. The presence of wobble in the training device indicates improper technique, (e.g., uneven finger pressure, off-center grip, improper thumb placement). Lack of wobble, or the absence of wobble, indicates proper technique. The technique used to properly throw such a tool is then transferred to throwing an actual ball in sport.

In many sports, the physics of a ball's flight through the air demand precise throwing mechanics by the user to achieve command, accuracy, ball life, and movement. In the sport of baseball, for example, a baseball thrown by a pitcher observes many properties of classical, or Newtonian mechanics, found in translational motion or ballistic flight. Properties, such as the baseball's weight and rotation around its center of gravity, factor into the ball's flight path. That path, however, varies greatly from any basic theoretical ballistic flight calculation due, at least in part, to the baseball's raised stitching at its seams, which induce additional factors such as lift, drag, and Magnus force that affect the ball's trajectory. Those forces, in turn, magnify the effects of the baseball's axis of rotation and angular speed in determining the ball's trajectory, creating a variety of baseball pitches that exhibit varying curves and bends during flight. These pitches can broadly be identified as fastballs, curveballs, sinkers, sliders, cutters, and change-ups, among others. For the aforementioned reasons, these baseball pitches, even those with the simplest throwing technique, can be difficult to master.

Some training devices seek to improve throwing technique by relying upon a stripe placed on the surface of the ball, wherein the stripe is a color that contrasts with the rest of the ball. The stripe runs along the equator of the ball, or in other words, atop its surface perpendicular to its intended axis of rotation and equidistant from its imaginary poles-the two points on the ball where its axis of rotation intersects its surface. Painting a stripe on the ball or affixing a piece of tape are common methods for realizing such a stripe. The thin border created by the contrast in color between the stripe and the rest of the ball, when rotating, provides an indication of wobble if present. The visual feedback that these training devices intend to deliver, however, is not reliable because certain pitches hide some or all of the painted stripe from the thrower's point of view. For example, if a right-handed baseball pitcher is practicing a pitch: (a) that requires the training device's stripe to be tilted 45 degrees from the horizontal ground, with the stripe appearing at the top of the ball being farther away from the pitcher's body than the stripe appearing at the bottom, (b) that requires the axis of rotation, or rotation axis, to be perpendicular to the forward direction of flight, and (c) that requires the release of the training device from the pitcher's hand to begin to the right of the pitcher's body (e.g., from a pitcher with an arm slot of three-quarters), then the pitcher only glimpses portions of the stripe as the training device travels forward through the air. Compounding the problem, pitchers routinely throw baseballs with spin rates, or revolutions per minute, of 2000-2500 rpm, with some now throwing 3000+rpm, around the axis of rotation, and with flight times (the time beginning with the release of the baseball until the baseball reaches home plate) of 425-450 milliseconds. These high spin rates and short flight times make it even more difficult to discern with the naked eye wobbles on a ball, again, revealed by a thin border between the stripe and the rest of the ball.

Other training devices improve the visual feedback by taking the shape of a thick disc, biscuit, or flattened ball. These tools generally exhibit a circular profile with two planar sides parallel to one another, and exhibit weights identical to those of a softball or baseball. Such training devices, however, limit the types of grips and pitches that can be thrown due to its reduced surface area available for gripping by a user's hand.

SUMMARY

Therefore, there is a need for a pitch training tool that provides superior visual feedback and accommodates multiple grips.

According to one embodiment, a spheroidal ball for pitch training comprises a center disc that is substantially opaque and comprising a first planar surface and a second planar surface; a first spherical cap comprising a first circular base, the first circular base being adjacent to the first planar surface at a substantially planar interface; and a second spherical cap comprising a second circular base, the second circular base being adjacent to the second planar surface at a substantially planar interlace, wherein the first and second spherical caps are substantially transparent to substantially translucent. In a further embodiment, both planar surfaces comprise a color that contrasts with the remainder of spheroidal ball.

According to another embodiment, a spheroidal ball apparatus for pitch training comprises a center disc that is substantially opaque and comprising a first planar surface and a second planar surface; a first spherical cap comprising a first circular base, the first circular base being adjacent to the first planar surface at a substantially planar interlace; a second spherical cap comprising a second circular base, the second circular base being adjacent to the second planar surface at a substantially planar interface, wherein the first and second spherical caps are substantially transparent to substantially translucent; at least one processor; at least one sensor; and at least one memory including computer program code for one or more programs, the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to the perform at least the following: record information related to movement and position of the apparatus. In another embodiment, both planar surfaces comprise a color that contrasts with the remainder of spheroidal ball.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The embodiments of the invention are illustrated by way of example, and not by way of limitation, in the figures of the accompanying drawings:

FIG. 1 depicts two spherical caps according to one embodiment;

FIG. 2 depicts two spherical caps according to one embodiment;

FIG. 3 is an exploded view of a training device according to one embodiment;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a training device according to one embodiment;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a training device according to one embodiment;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a training device according to one embodiment;

and

FIG. 7 is a side view of a training device according to one embodiment;

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Examples of a pitch training device that exhibits the shape and feel of a sports ball (e.g., baseball, softball, cricket ball) while maximizing visual feedback are disclosed. In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments of the invention. It is apparent, however, to one skilled in the art that the embodiments of the invention may be practiced without these specific details or with an equivalent arrangement.

FIG. 1 depicts, according to an embodiment, a first spherical cap 101 a and second spherical cap 101 b (e.g., objects comprising a form resembling portions of a sphere or ball cut off by a plane or regions of a sphere which lie above or below a given plane) for the pitch training device. Each spherical cap 101 further comprises a circular base 105 along the plane (the first circular base is hidden from view in FIG. 1 ). While depicted as physically separate parts in FIG. 1 , in other embodiments, the spherical caps 101 may comprise a delineation of regions in a substantially spheroidal ball that comprises a single piece of material. In other embodiments, the spherical caps 101, while beginning as physically separate parts, may be merged (e.g., affixed, adjoined, fused) to a complimentary piece to complete a spheroidal ball that comprises a single piece of material. Further, while depicted as substantially clear in FIG. 1 , the spherical caps 101 may be substantially translucent in other embodiments. In other embodiments, the spherical caps 101 may be tinted in grey or other color while still allowing at least some light to pass through. In still further embodiments, one of spherical caps 101 can be transparent or translucent while the other is substantially opaque. In another embodiment, the spherical caps 101 may not be substantially spherical and may comprise portions of other shapes (e.g., pyramid, cube, dodecahedron, ellipsoid).

According to the embodiment depicted in FIG. 1 , the spherical caps 101 include a plurality of raised surface elements 103 to mimic the look and feel of raised seams on a baseball. In other embodiments, the raised surface elements 103 may be oriented to mimic other types of seamed balls or balls with raised stitching (e.g., softballs, cricket balls), or the raised surface elements 103 may be absent from the spherical caps 101, leaving the spherical caps substantially smooth. When manufacturing the training device, the raised surface elements 103 can be oriented in a variety of positions in order to facilitate the practicing of specific pitches that require different grips. The raised surface elements 103 may be marked in a color that contrasts from the color of the remainder of the device in order to provide immediate and apparent visual feedback regarding the angular speed centered around the axis of rotation. In other embodiments, the spherical caps 101 need not comprise a continuously smooth surface for other reasons (e.g. contoured marks left by the manufacturing process, dimples used to affect aerodynamics, small holes used to key or pry open the training device to access the interior).

FIG. 1 depicts the spherical caps 101 as substantially hollow or concave. In other embodiments, the spherical caps 101 may not be fully concave; they may be mostly, if not fully, filled or solid. Therefore, in certain embodiments, the circular bases 105 may resemble solid, filled-in circles.

For purposes of better understanding the shape of the spherical caps 101 according to an embodiment, FIG. 2 removes complexity in the illustration by depicting the substantially clear spherical caps 101 as opaque spherical caps 201, each comprising a circular base 205 (the first circular base is hidden from view in FIG. 2 ).

FIG. 3 depicts an exploded view of the training device 300 according to an embodiment. As noted above, certain training devices designed to be thrown seek to provide visual feedback apparent to the naked eye as an indication of whether and to what extent the tools were thrown with the proper technique. Users of training devices that rely on a stripe painted, or tape applied, along the equator of a ball face difficulty discerning any wobble and the extent of the wobble with certain pitches. Issues that compound the difficulty in discerning wobble may include a line that was drawn, or tape that was applied, unevenly or asymmetrically.

In addition to the spherical caps 101, the training device includes a center disc 301, which is substantially opaque. The center disc comprises a first planar surface 303 a and second planar surface 303 b (not visible but for a portion of its edge) substantially parallel to each other. While FIG. 3 depicts the center disc 301 as physically separate from the spherical caps 101, the center disc 301, in other embodiments, need not be a physically apart and may be a region delineated with.in a sphere comprised of a single piece. The center disc 301 further comprises a perimeter surface 305 substantially defined by the surface between the planar surfaces 303. In some embodiments, the perimeter surface 305 substantially resembles the curve of a sphere. According to an embodiment, the thickness of the perimeter surface 303 may be minimized to, in tum, maximize the surface area of the planar surfaces. In other embodiments, the thickness of the perimeter surface 305 measures between 30 mm and 76 mm.

The center disc 301 includes raised surface elements 103 mimicking the raised seams of a sports ball. In one embodiment, the raised surface elements 103 mimic the feel and look of a baseball. In an embodiment, the first and second planar surfaces 303 comprise a first color, and the perimeter surface 305 comprises a second color, wherein the first color differs from the second color. According to an embodiment, at least a portion of the first and second planar surfaces 303 comprise some color or a plurality of colors. Such colors may be any color (e.g., black, grey, red, blue, white, or any other color) so long as it is a color different from the color of the perimeter surface 305. In one embodiment, a color different from the color of the perimeter surface may be a difference such as the difference between a color comprising a different shade from the shade of the color of the perimeter surface. According to the embodiment depicted in FIG. 3 , the color of the planar surfaces 303 and the perimeter surface 305 visibly contrast. In another embodiment, the planar surfaces 303 may be, at least partially illuminated with an internal lighting system.

FIGS. 4-7 introduce various perspective views of a training device 400 according various embodiments. The training device comprises a spheroidal ball that exhibits large visual cues in the form of colored planar surfaces, which provide visual feedback easily discerned by the naked eye (e.g., unassisted vision without a telescope, microscope, radar, camera), or an eye aided at most with optical glasses or sunglasses. Instead of a user observing a border created by the meeting of contrasting colors between a stripe on a ball and the ball itself, the depicted training device presents an entire shape (e.g., circle, ellipse) to the user in a color that contrasts with the perimeter surface 305. According to an embodiment, the spherical caps 101 are adjacent and affixed (e.g., adjoined, adhered, contiguous) to the center disc 301 with the circular bases 105 of each spherical cap 101 being adjacent to the center disc 301 at a substantially planar interface. The spherical caps 101 can be affixed to the planar surfaces 303 of the center disc 301 in any number of ways including, but not limited to, ultrasonic welding, screwing, riveting, applying adhesive. In other embodiments, the spherical caps 101 are not physically separate from the center disc 301 and therefore require no affixing to the center disc.

As depicted in FIGS. 4-7 , the planar surfaces 303, whose color contrasts from the color of the perimeter surface, can be seen through the spherical caps 101. Once thrown, the training device presents to the user the colored surface area of at least one planar surface 303 to assist in presenting any visual wobble to the user. According to an embodiment, the wobble appears as an ellipse rapidly changing its shape while also quickly moving back and forth through multiple planes. The user may observe the planar surface 303 over a wide range of rotation axis angles. Therefore, at least in part with other features of the training device, the device provides visual feedback easily discernable with the naked eye. In other embodiments, colored planes may exist within the spherical caps 101 in addition to or instead of the colored planar surfaces 303 of the center disc 301.

According to an embodiment, the training device may be comprised of a plastic material (e.g., polyethylene terephthalate (PETE or PET), high-density polyethylene (HDPE), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), low-density polyethylene (LDPE), polypropylene (PP), polystyrene or styrofoam (PS), any thermoplastic).

In an embodiment, the thermoplastic material may be injection-molded. In another embodiment, the training device comprises material that resists scuffing and has a hardness greater than leather.

In other embodiments, the training device may be configured to have an overall mass between 113 g and 454 g, which includes masses that are suitable for weighted ball training. For purposes of baseball training, the training device may be configured to have an overall mass between 140 g to 234 g. For purposes of softball training, the training device can be configured to have an overall mass between 148 g to 206 g. For purposes of cricket training, the training device may be configured to have an overall mass between 155 g to 163 g.

In yet other embodiments, the training device comprises a core with a density greater than the density in the remainder of the training device. The core may exhibit a density between 1 g/cubic cm and 12 g/cubic cm. As an example, the core may be comprised of stainless steel, aluminum, copper, nickel, titanium, or an alloy thereof. In other embodiments, the training device may comprise a mass suitable to accommodate weighted-ball training. Embodiments for training baseball or softball pitchers may require planar surfaces 303 that have a diameter of between 50 mm and 102 mm.

According to an embodiment, the training device further comprises at least one processor, at least one sensor, at least one memory, at least one communication network, and a user interface, which includes computer program code for one or more programs. The processor, at least one sensor, at least one memory, and a user interface may be communicatively connected directly or indirectly to each other via the communication network. The at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to record information related to movement and position of the training device. Such information may include, but is not limited to, angular velocity, linear velocity, spin axis orientation, orientation, linear acceleration, angular acceleration, or some combination thereof.

A processor (or multiple processors) performs a set of operations, instructions, or code on information related to recording and outputting information about the training device's motion and position (e.g., orientation, angular velocity, rotation axis angle, movement through a 3D Cartesian coordinate system) to a memory. The processor can be any suitable processing device configured to run or execute a set of instructions or code (e.g., stored in the memory) such as a central processing unit (CPU), general purpose processor (GPP), a graphics processor unit (GPU), a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrates circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), or any other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, controller, microcontroller, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. For example, a processor can be implemented as a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration.

Computer program code is a set of instructions or statements providing instructions for the operation of the processor and/or the computer system to perform specified functions. The code, for example, may be written in a computer programming language that is compiled into a native instruction set of the processor. The code may also be written directly using the native instruction set (e.g., machine language). Each operation of the set of operations that can be performed by the processor is represented to the processor by information called instructions, such as an operation code of one or more digits. A sequence of operations to be executed by the processor such as a sequence of operation codes, constitute processor instructions, also called computer system instructions or, simply, computer instructions. Processors may be implemented as mechanical, electrical, magnetic, optical, chemical or quantum components, among others, alone or in combination.

In some embodiments, the at least one sensor may be any type of sensor appropriate for recording one or more aspects of the training device's motion or position. Sensors may include, for example, microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), single-axis angular rate gyros, multi-axis angular rate gyros, multi-axis accelerometers, inertial sensors, global-positioning-system (GPS) sensors.

The memory can be any form of storage medium including, but not limited to: random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), a cache, a hard drive, a flash drive, a removable disk, a Secure Digital card (SD card), registers, and/or memory buffer or any combination thereof. The memory can be in communication with the processor such that the processor can read information from, and write information to, the memory.

In some example embodiments, the user interface may include a mobile computing device such as a laptop computer, tablet computer, mobile phone, smart phone, navigation unit, personal data assistant, watch, camera, or the like. Additionally or alternatively, the user interface may be a fixed computing device, such as a personal computer, computer workstation, kiosk, office terminal computer or system, or the like. The user interface may be configured to access a memory via a processing component such as a pitch logging application.

A communication network may be wired, wireless, or any combination of wired and wireless communication networks, such as cellular, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, internet, local area network (LAN), radio frequency signals, optical network.

In some example embodiments, the user interface may include a mobile computing device such as a laptop computer, tablet computer, mobile phone, smart phone, navigation unit, personal data assistant, watch, camera, or the like. In addition, or in the alternative, the user interface may be a fixed computing device, such as a personal computer, computer workstation, kiosk, office terminal computer or system, or the like. The user interface may be configured to access a memory via a processing component such as a pitch logging application.

In some example embodiments a computer program product is provided. The computer program product comprises at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable program code instructions stored therein, the computer-executable program code instructions comprising program code instructions for receiving information related to the movement and position of the training device. The computer-executable program code instructions may further comprise program code instructions for extracting information related to the motion and position of the training device. The computer-executable program code instructions may further comprise program code instructions for calculating information related to motion and position of the training device (e.g., angular velocity, linear velocity, revolutions per minute, orientation of the rotation axis, orientation of the spin axis).

In some embodiments, a pitching machine is connected to the communication network, and information related to the motion and position of the training device is output to the pitching machine. In some embodiments, the information related to the motion and position of the training device may control how the pitching machine should throw a pitch (e.g., control the angle, velocity, spin).

While the invention has been described in connection with a number of embodiments and implementations, the invention is not so limited but covers various obvious modifications and equivalent arrangements, which fall within the purview of the appended claims. Although features of the invention are expressed in certain combinations among the claims, it is contemplated that these features can be arranged in any combination and order. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A pitch training ball comprising: a center portion that is opaque, the center portion comprising a first planar surface at a first end thereof, and a second planar surface at a second end thereof opposite to the first end; a first cap portion comprising a first base, the first base being adjacent to the first planar surface; and a second cap portion comprising a second base, the second base being adjacent to the second planar surface, wherein the first cap, the center portion, and the second cap cooperate to define a baseball shape, and the first and second caps are transparent to translucent.
 2. The pitch training ball of claim 1, wherein the center portion includes a perimeter surface defined between the first and second planar surfaces, the first and second planar surfaces are of a first color, and the perimeter surface is of a second color.
 3. The pitch training ball of claim 1, wherein the first and second planar surfaces are illuminated by an internal lighting system.
 4. The pitch training ball of claim 1, further comprising: raised surface elements mimicking the raised seams of a conventional baseball.
 5. The pitch training ball of claim 1, wherein the pitch training ball has an overall mass between 113 g to 454 g.
 6. The pitch training ball of claim 1, further comprising: an ultrasonic weld that fixes the first and second caps to the first and second planar surfaces, respectively.
 7. The pitch training ball of claim 1, further comprising an adhesive that fixes the first and second caps to the first and second planar surfaces, respectively.
 8. The pitch training ball of claim 1, wherein the first and second planar surfaces each have a diameter between 50 mm and 102 mm.
 9. The pitch training ball of claim 2, wherein the perimeter surface comprises a thickness between 30 mm and 55 mm.
 10. A pitch training ball comprising: a center portion that is opaque, the center portion comprising a first planar surface at a first end thereof, and a second planar surface at a second end thereof opposite to the first end; a first cap portion comprising a first base, the first base being adjacent to the first planar surface; and a second cap portion comprising a second base, the second base being adjacent to the second planar surface, wherein the first cap, the center portion, and the second cap cooperate to define a baseball shape, and the first and second caps are transparent to translucent; at least one processor; at least one sensor; and at least one memory including a computer program, which when executed by the at least one processor causes the ball apparatus to record information related to a movement and a position of the pitch training ball.
 11. The pitch training ball of claim 10, wherein the first and second planar surfaces are of a first color, and the perimeter surface is of a second color.
 12. The pitch training ball of claim 10, wherein the first and second planar surfaces are illuminated by an internal lighting system.
 13. The pitch training ball of claim 10, further comprising: raised surface elements mimicking the raised seams of a baseball
 14. The pitch training ball of claim 10, wherein the pitch training ball has an overall mass between 113 g to 454 g.
 15. The pitch training ball of claim 10, further comprising: an ultrasonic weld that fixes the first and second caps to the first and second planar surfaces, respectively.
 16. The pitch training ball of claim 10, further comprising: an adhesive that fixes the first and second caps to the first and second planar surfaces, respectively.
 17. The pitch training ball of claim 10, wherein the first and second planar surfaces each have a diameter between 50 mm and 102 mm.
 18. The pitch training ball of claim 10, wherein the perimeter surface has a thickness between 30 mm and 55 mm.
 19. The pitch training ball of claim 10, wherein the ball apparatus is further caused to record the spin rate of the pitch training ball along three axes.
 20. The pitch training ball of claim 10, further comprising: a communication network; and a pitching machine connected to the communication network, wherein the processor is connected to the communication network, and the pitch training ball is further configured to send information related to a movement and a position of the pitch training ball to the pitching machine to control the pitching machine. 